Kickstarter

Dear Kickstarter Donors,

A lot has happened since the Kickstarter campaign for Inside the Mind of Ayn Rand ended on May 10th, and I wanted to bring you the latest news!

 CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

           Writing of the “treatment” for the documentary has progressed significantly over the past several weeks and is now approximately 60% completed.  The treatment describes, in detail, the creative approach for each component of the film and is essentially the blueprint for the film, and the basis of the final shooting script.

           For Inside the Mind of Ayn Rand we started with Rand’s own assessment of what is essential about her philosophy.  She was once challenged to describe Objectivism while standing on one foot and she easily did so by identifying its four major components:

Metaphysics - Objective Reality

Epistemology - Reason

Ethics - Self-interest

Politics - Capitalism

                  Given our subject matter, the biggest challenge of writing a treatment such as this is finding the most effective way to showcase these four key concepts in a cinematic way--with clarity and depth--and to also seamlessly blend in the epic story of Rand’s life and times.   The intent is to delve deep inside Rand’s mind and communicate her ideas in an accessible and engaging manner. Our goal is to inspire a mainstream audience that tends to be resistant or indifferent to the importance of philosophy in general, and perhaps Rand’s ideas in particular. At the same time we are making sure that the treatment powerfully demonstrates the relevance of her ideas to the disturbing problems facing the world today.

                 Ambitious goals, but we are putting together a talented team that can meet the challenge!

 TALENT & PRODUCTION CREW

             We have been pulling together the key team members for the upcoming production.  This includes co-producers, associate producers, co-writers, videographers, video editors, graphic artists, animators, and so much more.  We’re taking special care that each new member is not only exceptionally talented but, wherever feasible, shares our passion for the subject matter.

             Additionally, we have approached a politically sympathetic film star about providing the voice-over for our film, and will keep you updated as more key talent joins our team.

 FILM AND PHOTO ACQUISITION

       In the past two months we have acquired over 1200 historic still photos and an additional 16 hours of archival film and video.  This is in addition to well over 40 hours of material we already had before we launched our Kickstarter campaign.

       Once the film is edited together with newly filmed segments, this rich treasure chest of material will provide deeper visual context and background.  We anticipate that by early August we will have sufficient archival footage to begin assembling some sections of the film that are particularly biographical or historical in nature. (Special thanks to those of you who made additional media recommendations!)

FUNDRAISING/PROMOTION/SOCIAL NETWORKING

           We continue to seek the additional funding that will allow us to see this documentary to completion.  We continue to encourage donations and, in recent weeks we have focused our efforts on individuals and organizations that are potential investors in the film. We are thrilled to have the support of the Moving Picture Institute in our fundraising efforts.  New promotional materials were created in late June, and in the coming weeks look for expanded use of our web page, www.aynrandfilm.com, our Facebook page, and other social network outlets.

       We encourage you to contact us if you know of any person, or any organization, that shares our passion for Ayn Rand’s ideas and might consider donating or investing in this vitally important film endeavor.

 KICKSTARTER REWARDS

             We are happy to tell you that some Kickstarter donor awards will be shipping in early August.  The DVDs of We the Living, Objectivist History Project Part 1 and  Objectivist History Project Part 2 are standing by.  The brand new Objectivist History Project Part 3 is at the manufacturer’s and we expect to receive the first shipment within a few weeks.  All these DVDs will be shipped together in August.  The original We the Living poster will also be shipped in August.  

            We are in the process of licensing the graphic image that will be used in much of our promotion, including the donor award t-shirts, which will be shipped at a later date.

             Most of the other donor awards will be available after the completion of Inside the Mind of Ayn Rand.

 On behalf of everyone involved with Inside the Mind of Ayn Rand, thank you again for your generous support and your messages of encouragement.  We look forward to updating you with all the details as we move deeper into the production.

All the best,

Duncan Scott

Producer/Director,

Inside the Mind of Ayn Rand

So... what's next? 

Well, work on the film, which was already underway, now kicks into high gear. We will add you to the "Inside the Mind of Ayn Rand" email list and keep you posted on the progress of the film with periodic updates. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

What about the rewards? 

We will be sending you an email request for your shipping address and other fulfillment information within the next week or so. Some rewards, such as DVDs of the completed film, can't be shipped until the film is, well... completed. Other items will be readied as soon as possible and sent earlier, in a separate shipment. 

Can I still support the documentary?

Yes!  Thank you for your on-going interest in supporting our film.  You can still donate even though the Kickstarter campaign is officially ended.  Go to the link below:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=NU3ZEG7GTZRLY

If your donation meets a reward level, you will receive that reward as described on the Kickstarter page.

Also please visit our "Inside the Mind of Ayn Rand" and get the latest updates on the project:

http://mindofaynrand.wordpress.com/

Once again, a big thank you from all of us working on the film. 

Duncan Scott, Producer, "Inside the Mind of Ayn Rand"

Dear IMAR backers,

We reached and exceeded the Kickstarter goal today!  

Once the campaign officially ends on May 10th, the funding will be on its way.  At that time, we will also be contacting you again to gather your contact information and preferred shipping address for delivery of your rewards.

I'm so grateful to you, our backers, for getting behind this important and urgently needed documentary. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It will be a pleasure sending you all progress reports as the film continues into production. I know that when you see the finished film, you will be very proud to have helped make it possible.

And if you know of others who may still be interested in backing the film, they can certainly continue donating right through Tuesday afternoon.  Additional donations will help us speed up the production schedule.

Best wishes to you all,

Duncan Scott

As we approach the $30,000 mark, we want to thank you again for your generous donations and say how excited we are for all the support. With one week to go, we know we can make our Kickstarter goal! Please help put us over the top by considering increasing your donation, if you can. Remember, we are hoping to far exceed our Kickstarter goal. All donations will be put to work immediately on the project.  And of course, do continue to spread the word to your groups and email lists. 

And some great news: We are very excited to announce that the Moving Picture Institute (MPI) has just become a partner and supporter of Inside the Mind of Ayn Rand. In addition to direct financial support right now, they will be working with us beyond the Kickstarter campaign in our continuing fundraising efforts.

About the MPI:  The Moving Picture Institute supports filmmakers who are committed to protecting and sustaining a free society, and supports their work through grants, fiscal sponsorship, promotion, marketing, internships, training workshops, networking opportunities, and production assistance.

To date, MPI has helped develop, fund, produce, or promote a range of feature-length films dealing with topics such as the repressive climate on our nation's college campuses, environmental activism's role in perpetuating Third World poverty, anti-communist humor's cultural history, and Hungary's and Estonia's revolutions against totalitarianism.  They have partnered on films like:  Indoctrinate U, The Singing Revolution, Do As I Say, The Cartel, and many more.